Joni, Mom and I are on our way back from Starkville, MS. We said goodbye to Hannah and the girls this morning as they went off to school and work. Lilly was excited to begin preschool at her new school. I found her singing and dancing in her playroom this morning, sunglasses on, watching the sun rise out the eastern window. It was a treat to find her performing for no one, with pure joy, unselfconscious. I hope she can enjoy that state of mind for a few years at least, perhaps a life time.
It was fun being in Mississippi with Kyle and Hannah and the girls though we didn’t do much more than eat, hang out, play, change diapers, nap, and chat. The big event was to paddle and swim in their community lake. With a paddle board and a boat with an electric motor, we enjoyed touring the lake and jumping in for a cool dip. This was a great remedy to the hot Mississippi heat.
Lilly had yet to begin school for the year so we had more time with her than anyone.
Having my mom with us added another warm dimension to our visit. There were a few moments when I took a mental picture of the 4 generations of “McGavock girls” around the table. As I get older I realize how precious these moments are and how quickly they pass.
The Mississippi interlude was a great respite from all the planning, plotting, bookwork and bookings we
have been doing. Nice to have the slow pace and time to catch up on some of the more minor details. I took time to organize and consolidate my computer files and finally to merge my user account onto Joni’s computer. We’ve decided that bringing one computer will be all we can carry in our luggage and all we need for our travels. It’s amazing how much weight a computer occupies in the totality of all things for travel. Given that we have an iPad and our iPhones we can definitely do without 2 computers. Turns out that it was relatively easy to replicate all my account information and applications onto Joni’s computer. I also had time to finish the instructions for maintaining our house that I had begun so long ago. Thanks to Google Docs and YouTube I was able to publish and update instructions with photos and movies. Hopefully, this will insure that our house is in tact and maintained upon our return.
Flash forward to Tuesday Aug. 15th …I failed to finish this entry the day I started it. Tonight we are in St. Louis, at the Holiday Inn, repacking our packs for the flight to London early in the morning. We’ll rise at 3:00 and catch the shuttle to the airport by 3:30.
The past week was full of hellos and goodbyes as we visited with my Missouri family. We managed to gather my brothers and wives at mom’s house for one evening and then caught some more time with them and friends at other gatherings. While the weather wasn’t cool in Colorado terms, Missouri was very pleasant for August; though my pregnant nieces would disagree 🙂
As the week progressed our list got smaller and smaller and we managed to cast off more and more of our belongings into storage while we consolidated the essentials for Nepal. It is quite the winnowing process, like a snake shedding it’s skin. I would go through piles of items, let them sit for a time and then decide, “I can live without that”, “They DO have shops in Nepal if I’m desperate”. The final product is 73 pounds of clothes, educational materials, electronics, camera equipment, and miscellany for me and 52 pounds for Joni. I’m certain that the camera equipment and electronics is what pushes me into the lead. Hopefully we have it well balanced between our carry-on and checked bags so that we don’t have to reshuffle at check in. I’ll tell you how that goes later.
It is an interesting moment, here on the perch of our long journey. It is impossible to know exactly what lies ahead, but I know it will be novel, sometimes difficult and exhausting, sometimes exhilarating, precious, and eye opening. Joni and I are determined to be patient with one another, though I know that may be difficult at times. We have a pact to go slow, and remind each other to be mindful of our environment; keeping our “stuff” safe and together.
Passports – check, money – check, baggage – check, sense of humor – check.
It is an incredible privilege to be going on this trip. I hope that we find ways to benefit others as we soak up the diversity of this beautiful planet.